A message from the director and co director:
We want to address the current issue with PAD Biscotti, as we’re sure if most of you haven’t heard yet, you will soon. Although it is extremely rare for PAD to ask for a dog to be returned from a team, due to concerns about Biscotti’s well being and continued training, we picked him up today. We’ve had many conversations to attempt resolve numerous safety issues over the past 5 weeks. Due to the fact that we were unable to get adequate cooperation, we finally had to intervene to ensure the dog’s health and safety. PAD Biscotti will be seen by our veterinarians, and when cleared for work we will re-evaluate his ability to continue in training. We hope that you all understand how devastating this is for everyone involved, especially Biscotti.
Sincerely,
Linzey Zoccola and Cory Grimm
Biscotti has been on medical leave since returning to PAD. During this leave, we’ve been giving him a lot of wonderful time to be a puppy, including food toys, snuggles in bed and long walks. His volunteer Puppy Trainers are going a great job at this important break.
Biscotti is learning to walk on a Gentle Leader, while still working on loose leash lessons on his collar, this will allow his trainers to handle him safely. Gentle Leaders are wonderful tools, and we will use them also with partners that need additional safety measures taken with their dogs.
This weekend they took Biscotti on a long walk around a beautiful cemetery across the street from his Puppy Trainers home. He is learning quickly that the Gentle Leader is not a bad thing, and we are so proud of their work! Though Biscotti has returned to us with significant behavioral set backs surrounding fear, his trainers are working through them and we hope he will continue to make great progress and soon be back to the confident and social Labrador we know he is.
On Tuesday, Biscotti will undergo surgery to have a growth removed from his lip. So today, he had two very important visitors over for a play date Рhis littermates Rogue and Squeak!  Rogue and Squeak are not in training to be service dogs, but are wonderful loved pets.   The litter will be 8 months old on the 9th of May, and it was great to catch up while they romped in the 3/4 acre of fenced in grass at PAD.
Biscotti (front) with Squeak and Rogue (L to R)
We will be posting updates as he recovers, his health improves and we evaluation him for continued assistance dog training
You guys are amazing. Linz, you are a blessing in all that you do. This one seems like a fighter. I think he’ll make it back okay.
you guys are the best. thanks for what you have done for him and what you will do for him.
I am soooo glad Biscotti is out away from that guy and back where he belongs in safety. Hopefully he will feel safe again and resume his training.
Yeah, he sure does look soooooo neglected! And surgery for a wart? Give me a break, talk about stressful for a puppy! You made it seem like he’s so neglected. I see a shiny coat, trim nails. The growth is benign, you are just using it as a ploy for donations,how horrible. You have the most unscrupulous organization I’ve ever encountered and you’re lucky you don’t get shut down for not using your funds on what you say you do, hence why you don’t qualify as an 501(c). How “professional” of you to curse people out and make up lies. None of my friends will ever get a SD from you, ever.
Jessica,
Our standards of care for any dog in our program are extremely high, and they set for reasons that are well respected throughout the working dog industry. Our veterinarians, Palmyra Animal Clinic assessed this puppies state and we followed their recommendations accordingly. We respect your right to an opinion and admire the way you are supporting your friend, but stress that you understand our actions were not meant to offend anyone and were only in the best interest of PAD Biscotti.
In relation to our programs application of donations and our future as a program, we will continue to uphold our high standards supporting and guiding individuals training their own assistance dogs, as well as locating – training and placing service dogs. We are proud of the program we run, and use our donations very honorably. When we become a federal non profit 501c3 we will have public records and welcome you to them.
Scotti had a vet appointment days prior to you coming to get him. So it’s your vets word against anothers. You came to get Scotti for continued training, NOT because you thought he was neglected or because you were concerned for his SAFETY or health. Scotti’s owner was one the one who decided he no longer felt comfortable dealing with your program, HE turned Scotti over. You are making it like Scotti’s owner is abusive or neglectful and you know that is not the case, otherwise would your program have placed two separate dogs with this person?
Also did I give you permission to post my name? No I did not, so remove it. You’re asking for donations to remove a wart. You don’t use your funds for what you say you do, and you know that. You’re making it like you removed Scotti when that is not the truth, you’re doing it so you don’t look like the bad guy. But we all know the truth. For the record, how many dogs have actually graduated from your program? From puppyhood to adult service dog status? Okay, now how many handlers have dropped out of the program? Yep, something doesn’t add up here, and it sure isn’t Scotti’s previous handler.
To Mr. or Ms. Hutchinson
From E. Rodgers – PAD Client Advocate and Biscotti’s Volunteer Puppy Raiser
Had we received donations for Biscotti’s surgery I can assure you we would still be “in the hole” as far as the funds our program as put into him versus the money we have received for his care previously and in light of recent events, please don’t be concerned on that end.
As far as his health is concerned, I don’t know how recently you’ve seen him, but the dog I picked up had claw-like toenails not “trim” ones. His coat was scraggly and he had an irritated red pimply rash all over his belly. The “wart” on his lip was open to infection and needed to be treated if he is to be safe amongst other dogs and the public (We consider the health and safety of the general public,our several immunology-supressed partners, and other service dog teams to be very important when considering the state of our working dogs). He is inexplicably missing an adult molar tooth in a location that would seem important to griping door-pull openers as well as doing other retrieves. After checking with each of his other litter-mates and both his parents, we have confirmed that his missing tooth is anomalous to him among his family and thus likely should be looked into. Though Biscotti stands of a height with them, he is noticeably thinner than two of his well proportioned litter-mates.
You are correct in noting that none of these things were apparent to our organization when, after having over a month with several tenets of our signed contract not being met, we requested that Biscotti be returned to the program for the duration of his training. When we made that request we were informed that the individual with whom Biscotti had been working wished to “cut all ties” and wanted to return Biscotti “permanently”. It was only after this was made known to us and we had Biscotti back in our possession that the nature of his condition became apparent to us. I can assure you that, had we known of his condition before requesting he return for retraining, our request would have been a different one.
As to Biscotti’s emotional state, the happy-go-lucky Puppy who left 5 weeks ago is a shadow of the puppy who now lives with me. Biscotti is afraid of almost everything as he never was before. He now fears people he used to know, harnesses he had no issues with before, even being left alone. Several times a day he crawls into my lap and curls up there for long stretches at a time and he flinches away from hands that would treat or pet him. This is all new behavior since his placement and it would be pretty harsh to blame all of these changes on Biscotti himself. As for myself I can only hope that I can give him back his joy at life, because it seems uncertain if he will regain his career or not and that is awful because the puppy born at Christmas time wanted to be a Service Dog more than you can know.
- E. Rodgers
Client Advocate, Puppy Raiser
Hutchinson,
I truly want to understand how you think a dog that was gone for 5 weeks and has changed so drastically in the time he was gone, wasn’t subject to some type of mistreatment? I am not suggesting that the mistreatment was intentional, it probably wasn’t, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. How does a dog that LOVED to work turn into one afraid of his harness? NOTHING bothered Scotti before he left PAD. And it wasn’t just leaving the PAD home and going to a new home, as Scotti has spent plenty of time at other people’s homes volunteering to train with him.
If nothing else, please stop spreading your anger. It helps no one. If you didn’t know anyone involved in this and read it as a story completely removed from you, you would likely be glad that a dog went back to a home where he was properly cared for. We all would.
Our family will keep you (Elise) Biscotti and Burke in our love and prayers.